Plans to stage more gigs at York Museum Gardens have run into the opposition of police, council enforcement officers, and some neighbouring residents.
Organisers of the popular Live At Museum Gardens series of concerts and stand-up comedy have applied for a licence to stage up to 12 days of entertainment in the park.
Futuresound Events is asking for permission to put on live music from 11am- 11.30pm on Thursdays to Sundays.
They are also seeking to sell alcohol between 11am and 10.30pm on Thursdays, from 12pm-11pm on Fridays and Saturdays and from 12pm to 11pm on Sundays.
York Museums Trust already holds an existing premises licence covering six days, with an alcohol licence till 10.45pm.
Futuresound is asking for a second licence which would allow “a total of 18 possible days of music events” a report to next week’s City of York Council licensing committee says.
Live at York Museum Gardens returns from Thursday (9 July) to Saturday (11 July), with bands including Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark and Self Esteem, followed by the York Comedy Festival at the venue on Sunday, 12 July.
Those gigs are unaffected by the new licence application.
Futuresound said last year they’d like to expand the number of shows in Museum Gardens. Its application has been backed by Make It York, which says: “The last two years of ‘Live at Museum Gardens’ concert series has proved itself to be a well organised event and addition to York’s cultural offer for both residents and visitors to the city.
“The concerts have not only positioned York on a national platform of high-quality summer events, they’ve had an economic impact on the city’s night-time economy in terms of local hospitality, overnight stays, transport and most importantly a much needed income revenue to York Museum’s Trust.”
‘Public safety risks’
However, North Yorkshire Police are recommending the council’s licensing committee refuse the licence bid.
It says the application fails to do enough to prevent crime and disorder or public nuisance. The police licensing officer says “there is insufficient confidence that public safety risks will be adequately mitigated”.
“In addition, whilst the application proposes use of the premises for up to twelve days per annum, it does not specify when those events will take place, beyond a requirement to notify the Licensing Authority four months in advance.
“This creates uncertainty and prevents proper assessment of cumulative impact and resource planning.”
The council’s public protection officer is also urging that the application be refused “on the grounds of the prevention of public nuisance”.
He writes: “So long as the all of the other guidance in our local code of practice guidance was adopted and the number of days limited to a maximum of three louder music events and three quieter music events, this was deemed to have struck a balance which allowed Museum Gardens to host the three-day music event, the proms night, another two possible events at a lower volume and retain the flexibility to run other quieter events whilst protecting local residents from unwanted noisy from multiple music events throughout the year.”
But “this application would be adding to this number with another possible 12 days of noisy music led events”.
Four people have written to object to the application.
Two, including Make It York, have submitted supportive comments.
One objector says they are “concerned about drunk and rowdy people causing noise and stress for residents, eg leaving rubbish, using the street / doorways / alleyways as toilets or making people feel unsafe going to and from their houses after dark”
Another says the later alcohol licence “will undoubtedly increase the likelihood of anti-social behaviour from the audience leaving the premises affecting near neighbours late at night and should therefore be refused”.
The licensing hearing to discuss the application will take place on Monday, 13 July.
